Summer in WinnipegCulinary Adventure

With plenty of patios, nearly 60 food trucks, acclaimed small plate restaurants, incredible handcrafted ice cream shops, and neighbourhood gems all across the map, Winnipeg’s culinary scene has you covered in summer.

Check out our latest packages and deals page – which will see you saving big on your stay this summer – then come pull up a chair and dig in!I

Patios Please

Winnipeg’s al fresco mecca is
Corydon Avenue, our former Little Italy where patios lay claim to huge sections of sidewalk flaunting Greek, Georgian (the country, not the state), Japanese from Harrow Street to Confusion Corner where you can enjoy Italian, Greek, Georgian (the country, not the state), Japanese and casual Italian cusine. Of particular note, should you look up between Hugo and Daly, you’ll discover The Roost, a gem of a cocktail and small plates bar whose patio is perched right above the strip.

Some of the city’s most-acclaimed restaurants that have patios include 529 Wellington, where some of Canada’s best steaks are served in a garden setting alongside the Assiniboine River; Máquè, whose Asian-inspired small plates made Air Canada’s enRoute magazine’s long list for Canada’s best new restaurant; its neighbour Close Co., which has a tidy cocktail and share plates menu; Pizzeria Gusto, known for its wood-fired pizzas and lively ambiance (where you’re most likely to spot a Winnipeg Jet or visiting celebrity); and Segovia Tapas Bar, which is currently sitting at No. 57 on the Canada’s 100 Best Restaurant list and has been on said list every year since its inception.

St. Boniface, Winnipeg’s French Quarter, is ripe with patios for the picking. Standouts include Promenade Café and Wine – which provides stunning views of the Esplanade Riel and the downtown’s skyline; local gem Chaise Café – whose porch patio is covered in greenery; Inferno’s Bistro – whose courtyard patio is serviced by a menu of eclectic French favourites; Marion Street Eatery – which rocks out breakfast, lunch and dinner with award-wining comfort food; and La Belle Baguette – the perfect spot to enjoy one of Winnipeg’s best pastries or gourmet sandwiches while sipping on a latte.

Some vibrant sidewalk-situated patios in the Exchange District include Cibo, a Mediterranean inspired café with a spacious, beautiful patio and Forth - which is also home to the finest rooftop cocktail bar in the city. The area surrounding popular summer hang out Old Market Square includes Peasant Cookery – an excellent spot for house-made charcuterie and craft cocktails, the Kings Head Pub, Cordova Tapas & Wine and Amsterdam Tea Room – both of which provide a little slice of Europe with patios situated right on the cobbled sidewalks.

The Forks is also now home to Winnipeg’s – and surely one of Canada’s – largest patios, which can seat up to 250 people. The huge patio is serviced by an outdoor bar with 20 wines and 20 beers on tap, which is the same setup you’ll find within The Forks Market at The Common. It is a bar that is surrounded by food kiosks run by some of Winnipeg’s best restaurants and food trucks. Amongst The Common’s offerings – which are curated by one of world’s best sommeliers, Véronique Rivest – you’ll always find at least five local beers.

For breweries with food, you really can’t beat Trans Canada Brewing Co. They are currently brewing 30 beers – ranging from sours to lagers to all manner of ales – while they are also the home of Timmy Toms’ Pizzeria, whose chef Thomas Schneider just won the Best Pizza Maker in Canada award at the World Pizza Championship in Parma, Italy.

Scream for locally made ice cream

Winnipeg gets hot in the summer, so you’ll want to hit some cool treats to beat that heat while you are here.

Gourmet ice cream is all the rage these days, and one of our new favs is newbie
Chaeban Ice Cream – the 2018 Western Living Foodies of the Year winners. Here, crowds queue regularly as Lebanese dairy scientist/cheesemaker Joseph Chaeban and his Syrian wife Zainab Ali pay homage to their Middle Eastern roots with flavours like Abir Al Sham, while their Salty Carl (sea-salted caramel), just might be our favourite ice cream ever.

Winnipeg's local ice cream legend is BDI, which has now been operating for 62 years! It’s located beside the Elm Park walking bridge, which that you can cross to the picturesque neighbourhood of Kingston Row. Another ice cream parlour by a bridge is Sargent Sundae, where you can grab a cone or creation and take a stroll into Assiniboine Park. In St. Boniface, Chocolatier Constance Popp, who – on top of making amazing chocolate creations also scoops some serious gourmet ice cream, including one that uses Manitoba Birch syrup, while on Sherbrook Street Decadence Chocolates also makes their own ice cream.

Two other new ice cream experts come by way of both Black Market Provisions – a new storefront by the same awesome ladies who brought us Pop Cart gourmet popsicles, and Milksmith, which rocks out adult-oriented and mixology inspired creations – including milkshakes topped with aromatic foams, ice cream tacos, and waffles on sticks – at their Instagram ready shop on the Corydon strip.

Street Eats

Winnipeg is also home to more than 50 food trucks. If you are looking for anything from perogies, wood-fired pizza, fancy tater tots, or Caribbean cuisine, the city’s streets have you covered – particularly on Broadway between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can also find the majority of the trucks all lined up together on Memorial Boulevard (in front of the Legislative Building) during ManyFest Food Truck Wars (September 6-8).

You can learn more about our fleet of food truck here in our 2019 Winnipeg Food Truck Guide, while our culinary website, PegCityGrub.com, is the best culinary resource in the city for food news, restaurant reviews, chef profiles and more.